on board has to do is physically turn the plane on, check that all systems are go and press the button that activates the autonomous system, then it's up to the plane. it does have to liaise with a human in the ground control centre while it's making its way to the runway for take—off, but that's just to ensure it's safe to cross certain parts of the strip. during take—off, it's almost like a ghost is in control because all of the parts are still moving but i'm not seeing what's moving them. once you've trained a robot once, you can build as many robots as you want, they all do the same thing, right? yeah. some of what the sensors and cameras are picking up is augmented over a real—time view from three cameras mounted on the exterior of the plane. the purplish bits off to the side are other planes that are in the area, while the bluish coloured lines in front of the plane are the flight path. on our way back to base, the team decided to let me fly the plane. so we're taking control of the aeroplane.